UPDATE 1-Canada PM fires ambassador to China after remarks on Huawei

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said he had fired his ambassador to China, who prompted a political furor with comments about a high-profile extradition case.

"Last night I asked for and accepted John McCallum's resignation as Canada's ambassador to China," Trudeau said in a statement that did not explain his reasons. Trudeau had told reporters as recently as Thursday that he had no plans to replace McCallum for saying Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou could make a strong argument against extradition to the United States.

Opposition politicians accused McCallum of political interference in a case which has badly damaged relations between Canada and China. Meng was arrested in Vancouver last month over alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran. China subsequently detained two Canadian citizens on national security grounds.

Asked why McCallum had been removed, Trudeau spokeswoman Eleanore Catenaro declined to comment. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jonathan Oatis)